Search form

Search form

The concrete shield building's hole that was cut to create an access portal for the reactor head replacement of FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio will be sealed with concrete. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, however, has said the plant will not resume operations until results of the assessment regarding the hairline cracks found in the shield building's concrete are in.

Related Summaries

Crews discovered "a large air pocket" in the concrete containment structure of the Davis-Besse nuclear reactor in Ohio, according to FirstEnergy Corp. The gap is 25 feet long and varies in width between six inches to 12 inches and runs along a cut made in 2011 when a new reactor head was installed. However, FirstEnergy has not said whether the crack "was caused by concrete delamination or the process of cutting through the wall." Engineers are probing the cause and the extent of the gap in the barrier concrete.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is satisfied with the results of concrete tests done on the Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio despite not being able to validate the cause of the cracks in the reactor's shield building. Area residents were assured that the building underwent a "vigorous inspection," according to Cynthia Pederson, a regional director of the NRC. FirstEnergy, the operator of the plant, has until the end of February to determine the cause of the cracks.

Concrete experts and engineers are assessing the newly discovered cracks in the shield building that encloses the reactor at FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio. The company said the investigating team has not yet verified if the cracks in the building's 30-inch-thick concrete wall will affect the structure's integrity and capacity to keep the reactor safe.

Repair of the concrete enclosure surrounding the Crystal River nuclear power plant in Florida will cost Progress Energy $900 million to $1.3 billion. The concrete containment structure was damaged when workers replaced a steam generator in 2009, and it has been idle since. Rather than shut the plant permanently, Progress wants to remove and replace the concrete.

Repair of the concrete enclosure surrounding the Crystal River nuclear power plant in Florida will cost Progress Energy $900 million to $1.3 billion. The concrete containment structure was damaged when workers replaced a steam generator in 2009, and it has been idle since. Rather than shut the plant permanently, Progress wants to remove and replace the concrete.